Tape drive system

ABSTRACT

A tape drive system according to one embodiment includes a support for engaging a tape; and a head directly opposing the tape engaging portion of the support, the head being for performing at least one of reading from a tape and writing to a tape. During an operation period, the head is positioned such that at least one of the following occurs: the head does not contact the tape for a majority of the operation period; the head does not contact the tape for at least a portion of the operation period; and the head engages the tape for at least a portion of the operation period when the tape is lifted from the support by a cushion of air formed between the support and the tape, the head pressing the tape into the air cushion when engaging the tape.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.11/851,587 filed Sep. 7, 2007, which is herein incorporated byreference.

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates to tape drive systems, and moreparticularly, this invention relates to a tape drive system with atleast partially constrained tape-head contact.

Business, science and entertainment applications depend upon computingsystems to process and record data. In these applications, large volumesof data are often stored or transferred to nonvolatile storage media,such as magnetic discs, magnetic tape cartridges, optical diskcartridges, floppy diskettes, or floptical diskettes. Typically,magnetic tape is the most economical, convenient, and secure means ofstoring or archiving data.

Storage technology is continually pushed to increase storage capacityand storage reliability. Improvement in data storage densities inmagnetic storage media, for example, has resulted from improved mediummaterials, improved error correction techniques and decreased areal bitsizes. The data capacity of half-inch magnetic tape, for example, iscurrently measured in hundreds of gigabytes.

The current method of wrapping the tape over the head during tape driveoperation does not in general allow constraining the contact betweenhead and tape. In addition, it is well known that wrapped configurationsmay produce considerable effects. For example, spacing loss due to gaprecession and debris accumulations on the head negatively affectsperformance. These debris accumulations can sometimes cause shorting ofcritical head elements. As tapes get smoother, stiction and runningfriction may become concerns. Another difficulty can be tape shiftingand dynamic skew. Solutions such as coating tape heads may address oneissue such as preventing shorting due to tape debris, but may causeincreased susceptibility to stiction. There are no known solutions thatimprove upon all of these concerns.

An example of the current method of wrapping the tape over the headduring tape drive operation is shown in FIG. 1, which illustrates atraditional flat-lapped bi-directional, two-module magnetic tape head100, in accordance with the prior art. As shown, the head includes apair of bases 102, each equipped with a module 104. The bases aretypically “U-beams” that are adhesively coupled together. Each module104 includes a substrate 104A and a closure 104B with readers andwriters 106 situated therebetween. In use, a tape 108 is moved over themodules 104 along a tape bearing surface 109 in the manner shown forreading and writing data on the tape 108 using the readers and writers106. Conventionally, a partial vacuum is formed between the tape 108 andthe tape bearing surface 109 for maintaining the tape 108 in closeproximity with the readers and writers 106.

Two common parameters are associated with heads of such design. Oneparameter includes the tape wrap angles α_(i), α_(o) defined between thetape 108 and a plane 111 in which the upper surface of the tape bearingsurface 109 resides. It should be noted that the tape wrap angles α_(i),α_(o) includes an inner wrap angle α_(i) which is often similar indegree to an external, or outer, wrap angle α_(o). The tape bearingsurfaces 109 of the modules 104 are set at a predetermined angle fromeach other such that the desired inner wrap angle α_(i) is achieved atthe facing edges. Moreover, a tape bearing surface length 112 is definedas the distance (in the direction of tape travel) between edges of thetape bearing surface 109. The wrap angles α_(i), α_(o) and tape bearingsurface length 112 are often adjusted to deal with various operationalaspects of heads such as that of FIG. 1, in a manner that will soonbecome apparent.

During use of the head of FIG. 1, various effects traditionally occur.FIG. 2A is an enlarged view of the area encircled in FIG. 1. FIG. 2Aillustrates a first known effect associated with the use of the head 100of FIG. 1. When the tape 108 moves across the head as shown, air isskived from below the tape 108 by a skiving edge 204 of the substrate104A, and instead of the tape 108 lifting from the tape bearing surface109 of the module (as intuitively it should), the reduced air pressurein the area between the tape 108 and the tape bearing surface 109 allowsatmospheric pressure to urge the tape towards the tape bearing surface109.

To obtain this desirable effect, the wrap angle α_(o) is carefullyselected. An illustrative wrap angle is about 0.8°±0.2. Note, however,that any wrap angle greater than 0° results in tents 202 being formed inthe tape 108 on opposite edges of the tape bearing surface 109. Thiseffect is a function of tape stiffness and tension. For givengeometrical wrap angles for example, stiffer tapes will have largertents 202.

If the wrap angle α_(i), α_(o) is too high, the tape 108 will tend tolift from the tape bearing surface 109 in spite of the vacuum. Thelarger the wrap angle, the larger the tent 202, and consequently themore air is allowed to enter between the tape bearing surface 109 andtape 108. Ultimately, the forces (atmospheric pressure) urging the tape108 towards the tape bearing surface 109 are overcome and the tape 108becomes detached from the tape bearing surface 109.

If the wrap angle α_(i), α_(o) is too small, the tape tends to exhibittape lifting 205, or curling, along the side edge of the tape bearingsurface 109 as a result of air leaking in at the edges and tapemechanical effects. This effect is shown in FIG. 2B. Particularly, theedges of the tape curl away from the tape bearing surface 109, resultingin edge loss or increased spacing between the edges of the tape and thetape bearing surface 109. This is undesirable, as data cannot reliablybe written to the edges of a tape in a system subject to edge loss.

Additionally, the tape lifting 205 results in additional stress atpoints 206 which, in turn, may cause additional wear. Further augmentingsuch tape lifting 205 is the fact that the tape 108 naturally hasupturned edges due to widespread use of technology applied in the videotape arts.

Beyond this relatively unconstrained head-tape contact, which is largelydue to air skiving, the tape itself is unconstrained against lateraltransient disturbances in the free span between tape guides where thehead is located. These disturbances can produce mistracking between headand tape, and force, for example, cessation of the writing process.

Furthermore, other disturbances such as in tension can producestick-slip conditions, mistracking and head-tape-spacing modulation.

BRIEF SUMMARY

A tape drive system according to one embodiment includes a support forengaging a tape, a tape engaging portion of the support having a roundedshape; and a head directly opposing the tape engaging portion of thesupport, the head being for performing at least one of reading from atape and writing to a tape. Dining an operation period when the head isreading from or writing to a tape, the head is positioned such that atleast one of the following occurs: the head does not contact the tapefor a majority of the operation period; the head does not contact thetape for at least a portion of the operation period; and the headengages the tape for at least a portion of the operation period when thetape is lifted from the support by a cushion of air formed between thesupport and the tape, the head pressing the tape into the air cushionwhen engaging the tape.

A tape drive system according to another embodiment includes a supportfor engaging a tape, where the support includes a roller adapted forengaging a tape wrapped around at least a portion of an outer surfacethereof, and where an outer surface of the roller has a material layerfor increasing friction between the tape and the support.

Other aspects and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent from the following detailed description, which, when taken inconjunction with the drawings, illustrate by way of example theprinciples of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

For a fuller understanding of the nature and advantages of the presentinvention, as well as the preferred mode of use, reference should bemade to the following detailed description read in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings.

Prior Art FIG. 1 illustrates a traditional flat-lapped magnetic tapehead, in accordance with the prior art.

Prior Art FIG. 2A is an enlarged view of Circle 2A of FIG. 1, showing afirst and second known effect associated with the use of the head ofFIG. 1.

Prior Art FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view taken along Line 2B of FIG.2A, showing a third known effect associated with the use of the head ofFIG. 1.

FIG. 3A is a schematic diagram of a tape drive system according to oneembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3B is a schematic diagram of a tape drive system according to oneembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3C is a schematic diagram of a tape drive system according to oneembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a detail diagram taken from Circle 4 of FIG. 3A.

FIG. 5 is a detail diagram according to another embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a detail diagram according to another embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a detail diagram according to another embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of a tape drive system according to oneembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of a tape drive system according to oneembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of a tape drive system according to oneembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of a tape drive system according to oneembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram of a tape drive system according to oneembodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following description is the best mode presently contemplated forcarrying out the present invention. This description is made for thepurpose of illustrating the general principles of the present inventionand is not meant to limit the inventive concepts claimed herein.Further, particular features described herein can be used in combinationwith other described features in each and any of the various possiblecombinations and permutations.

In the drawings, like and equivalent elements are numbered the samethroughout the various figures.

The embodiments described below disclose new tape drive systems thatexhibit more constrained tape-head contact than systems such as thosedescribed with reference to FIG. 1. An embodiment of the presentinvention generally includes a support for engaging a tape; and a headdirectly opposing the support such that a tape engaging the support ispositioned between the head and the support, the head being forperforming at least one of reading from a tape and writing to a tape.During an operation period, e.g., when the head is reading from orwriting to a tape, the head is positioned such that at least one of thefollowing occurs: the head does not contact the tape for a majority ofthe operation period; the head does not contact the tape for at least aportion of the operation period; and the head engages the tape for atleast a portion of the operation period, the head pressing the tapetowards the support when engaging the tape.

One or more embodiments presented herein, or permutations thereof,reduce or address concerns associated with prior art systems such asthose described with reference to FIG. 1, including head wear andspacing loss; debris accumulation on the head, particularly on skivingedges; stiction (the tendency of the tape to stick to the head after aperiod of inactivity) and running friction; setting the tape wrap anglesrelative to the head; and tape motion disturbances.

As noted above, a support may be present. As will be described in moredetail below, a tape engaging portion of the support may have a roundedshape, e.g., such as a circular, arcuate, or a semi-cylindrical shape.For example, the support may include a roller or fixed surface adaptedfor engaging a tape wrapped around at least a portion of an outersurface thereof. Alternatively, the support may have a shape that isnon-semicylindrical, e.g., such as having a nonuniform curvature, ashape conforming to a portion of a Cornu spiral, etc. Such shapes arebelieved to minimize tape-induced wear.

In one preferred embodiment, shown in FIG. 3A, a tape drive system 300includes a tape guide assembly 302. The tape guide assembly 302 includesa support 304 and optional secondary guides 305. The tape 306 is wrappedaround at least a portion of the support's outer surface 308. The head314 is shown mounted conventionally, if desired, on an actuator 316.

In use, the tape 306 is threaded around the support 304. Suitablethreading mechanisms are known in the art, and may include or be avariant of the threading mechanisms such as those used in Video CassetteRecorder (VCR) machines or Linear Tape Open (LTO) machines. The head 314and/or support 304 are adjusted such that the head 314 is positionedvery close to or in contact with the tape 306. In preferred embodiments,the head 314 either flies above the tape on an air bearing, or hasminimal contact with the tape.

The support 304 may be rotational. As the support 304 rotates, thebackside of the tape 306 contacts the rotating outer surface 308 of thesupport 304 and the tape 306 is carried in front of or across the head314.

As noted above, tape lateral motion and skew during reading or writingis undesirable. With continued reference to FIG. 3A, tape lateral motionmay be controlled in the regime where the tape 306 and the support 304are contacting. For example, the outer surface of the support 304 may betextured. This increases the sliding friction between tape 306 andsupport 304, which is important for limiting sporadic and other lateraltransients. In one embodiment, the outer surface 308 of the support 304has channels or grooves extending circumferentially therealong. Otherillustrative texturing includes cross hatching, raised regions, etc. Thetexturing can be uniform or nonuniform along the outer surface of thesupport 304.

In some cases, particularly with thinner tapes, texturing may translatethrough the tape and interfere with reading or writing. To address thispossibility, in some embodiments, the support 304 may be porous and/orhave apertures therein that allow air to bleed through the outer surfaceof the support into, e.g., a void into the support, vents to theatmosphere, etc. For example, the porous surface can be formed of sprayon ceramic.

In other embodiments, channels may be formed in the support 304 to allowair to bleed out, much in the same way channels on automotive tiresallow water to escape. The channels may be machined into the support,formed by laser scribing, etc. A preferred width of such channels isabout 5 microns, but could be higher or lower. The depth of the channelsshould be sufficient to allow air to escape. In one embodiment, thedepth of the channels is about the same as the width of the channels.However, the depth could be 2×, 3×, etc. the width, or less than thewidth.

Other embodiments may include some type of high friction material, suchas a polymeric material, e.g., urethane, formed on the tape bearingsurface of the support that acts to grip the tape. This also furtherreduces lateral translation of the tape.

The tape may also be pulled down to the surface of the transport throughvacuum, increased tape tension, or other means.

Therefore, in addition to head/tape interface benefits, less tapedisturbance and better servo positioning may result.

The back coat of the tape 306 may be intentionally textured to help itwind onto the takeup reel without excess air build up between wraps onthe reel. This roughness also enhances the anchoring of the tape 306 tothe support 304.

The support 304 may also allow an air bearing to be formed between thesupport 304 and the tape 306. In such case, the tape engaging portioncan be considered to be that portion of the support 304 proximate thetape, though not necessarily touching the tape 306 during periods ofoperation. In one such embodiment, the support 304 has a smooth tapebearing surface 308, such that air is entrained between the tape 306 andsupport 304.

The support 304 may also be nonrotational. In that case, the tape 306slides over the tape bearing surface 308 thereof. The tape bearingsurface 308 may be smooth (e.g., to induce formation of an air cushionbetween the tape 306 and support 304) or for example have a series ofsmall holes for forcing an air cushion between head and tape.

FIG. 4 illustrates the position of the head 314 relative to a support304 in one embodiment where the head 314 flies above the tape 306 duringat least a portion of the operation period. In the embodiment shown, acushion of air may be formed between the support 304 and tape 306.Further, the length of the support in contact with the tape may beminimized to minimize sliding friction between the tape and support. Asshown, the head 314 is spaced slightly from the tape 306. In such anembodiment, the head 314 may ride above the tape 306 on an air bearinginduced by air flow drawn between the head 314 and the tape 306 bymovement of the tape. This principle is similar to the principles ofhard disk drive sliders that flies on an air bearing above a rotatingmagnetic disk, and similar technology may be implemented. For instance,the head 314 may be biased towards the tape 306, the head 314 having anaerodynamic shape that induces the head to lift off of the tape.Accordingly, one practicing such an embodiment may be able to benefitfrom the technologies already developed for hard disk drives forcontrolling and minimizing flyheight.

The head 314 may also be in contact with the tape 306. Preferably, thehead/tape contact, and/or friction induced thereby, is minimal.

In this and other particularly preferred embodiments, the elements ofthe head should be positioned at the point of closest approach of thetape and head. In one embodiment, the head is positioned at design timeto place the elements at the point of closest approach. This may beaccomplished by pivoting and properly positioning the support for thehead. In a particularly preferred approach, shown in FIGS. 3B and 3C,the head 314 is supported by a member 360 such as a flexure. The end 362of the member opposite the head 314 can be positioned in the X and Yaxes, and relative to the axis of the support 304, such that theelements of the head 314 are positioned at the point of closest approachof the tape 306. In the embodiment shown, the end 362 of the memberopposite the head 314 may also allow pivoting of the member 360 about apivot guide 354.

Also, the head 314 should move laterally across the tape 306 to allowmovement from data track to data track. Such movement may be linear,enabled by allowing the head to move back and forth. For example, anactuation device 356 or system, e.g., worm gear, piezo actuator, etc.,may be used to position the head 314 laterally. In another approach,such movement could also be arcuate, such as where the head supportingmember pivots at an end opposite the point of attachment of the head.

FIG. 5 illustrates the position of the head 314 relative to a support304 in one embodiment where a cushion of air is formed between thesupport 304 and tape 306. As shown, the tape 306 may wrap around thehead 314 very slightly. This embodiment provides very close spacingbetween the tape 306 and the head elements, in a manner that permitsless precise alignment between head 314 and tape 306 than with a head314 which engages a tape 306 positioned directly against a hard backing.The attack angle may be set by adjusting the amount of head penetrationor insertion into the air cushion between the tape 306 and the support304.

Note that in embodiments where the head may engage the tape, it ispreferred that the head disengage from the tape during at least someperiods when no writing or no reading is performed, such as duringrewind (to reduce head wear), after a predetermined period of activity(to further reduce the possibility of tape-head stiction), etc.

FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate embodiments where a spacing mechanism 348 suchas a rolling device 350 or sled 352 is operatively coupled to the head314 and engages at least one of the support 304 and the tape 306 forsetting a position of the head relative to the support 304. In suchembodiments, an actuation device such as a piezo actuator may be used tocontrol the tape-head spacing.

In nonrotational embodiments, to minimize wear, the support 304 may beconstructed of a hard, wear resistant ceramic, such as AlTiC. Othersuitable materials include hard metals such as stainless steel, etc.

In various embodiments, because the tape 306 is positioned between thehead 314 and support 304, there is ample room for the head, cables, etc.in the drive housing.

The head 314 can have a flat tape bearing surface, rounded tape bearingsurface, and combinations thereof.

The actuator 316 can be any type of actuator. For example, the actuator316 may include a coarse actuator, a fine actuator, or both. Thehead/actuator assembly pivots down in the drawing to enable loading andunloading of the tape 306.

Any of the above embodiments or combinations of portions thereof canalso be applied to any type of tape head and magnetic tape recordingsystems, both known and yet to be invented. For example, the teachingsherein are easily adaptable to piggyback heads, which typically includeopposing modules each having an array of readers and writers configuredto provide read-while-write capability.

FIG. 8 illustrates a simplified tape drive system 300 which may beemployed in the context of the present invention. While one specificimplementation of a tape drive system is shown in FIG. 8, it should benoted that the embodiments of the previous figures may be implemented inthe context of any type of tape drive system.

As shown, a tape supply reel 320 and a take-up reel 321 are provided tosupport a tape 306. These may form part of a removable cassette and arenot necessarily part of the system. A guide assembly 302 guides the tape306 across a preferably bidirectional tape head 314. Such tape head 314is in turn coupled to a controller assembly 328 via a connector cable330. The controller 328, in turn, performs head functions such as servoreading, data writing, data reading, etc. An actuator 316 controls datatrack positioning of the head 314 relative to the tape 306, and mayoperate under control of the controller.

A tape drive, such as that illustrated in FIG. 8, may include drivemotor(s) to drive the take-up reel 321, and optionally, tape supply reel320 and support 304, to move the tape 306 linearly over the head 314.The tape drive system 300 also includes a read/write channel to transmitdata to the head 314 to be recorded on the tape 306 and to receive dataread by the head 314 from the tape 306. An interface is also providedfor communication between the tape drive system and a host (integral orexternal) to send and receive the data and for controlling the operationof the tape drive and communicating the status of the tape drive to thehost, all as will be understood by those of skill in the art.

In other embodiments, the tape engaging portion may have a shapecorresponding to a semicircle, irregular-radius semicircle, arc, aportion of a Cornu spiral, etc. The principles of operation of suchsystems are similar to those presented above. FIG. 9 illustrates a tapedrive system 300 according to one embodiment, where the support 304 hasa semicircular tape bearing surface 308.

In a further embodiment, the support has a planar tape engaging portionproximate the head. The principles of operation of such systems aresimilar to those presented above. FIG. 10 illustrates one suchembodiment 300. As shown, the tape 306 wraps around a support 304 havinga conveyor 360 that moves with the tape. An optional backing 362 may bepositioned near the head 314 to stabilize the conveyor 360 adjacent thehead. In another embodiment 300, shown in FIG. 11, the support 304 mayhave rounded ends, while having a straight tape engaging portionproximate the head 314.

In a further embodiment, the support is a spool around which a tape iswrapped. Referring to FIG. 12, the head 314 follows the outer peripheryof the tape coil as it is wound onto or off of the spool (support) 304.An actuator may be used to control the head/tape spacing or headbiasing. A spacing device, such as those shown in FIGS. 6-7 can also beused to control the head/tape spacing or head biasing.

While various embodiments have been described above, it should beunderstood that they have been presented by way of example only, and notlimitation. Thus, the breadth and scope of a preferred embodiment shouldnot be limited by any of the above-described exemplary embodiments, butshould be defined only in accordance with the following claims and theirequivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A tape drive system, comprising: a support forengaging a tape, a tape engaging portion of the support having a roundedshape; and a head directly opposing the tape engaging portion of thesupport, the head being for performing at least one of reading from atape and writing to a tape, wherein, during an operation period when thehead is reading from or writing to a tape, the head is positioned suchthat at least one of the following occurs: the head does not contact thetape for a majority of the operation period; the head does not contactthe tape for at least a portion of the operation period; and the headengages the tape for at least a portion of the operation period when thetape is lifted from the support by a cushion of air formed between thesupport and the tape, the head pressing the tape into the air cushionwhen engaging the tape.
 2. The tape drive system as recited in claim 1,wherein the support includes a roller adapted for engaging a tapewrapped around at least a portion of an outer surface thereof.
 3. Thetape drive system as recited in claim 2, wherein an outer surface of theroller is textured.
 4. The tape drive system as recited in claim 3,wherein an outer surface of the roller has grooves extendingcircumferentially therealong.
 5. The tape drive system as recited inclaim 1, wherein the support has a shape that is non-semicircular. 6.The tape drive system as recited in claim 1, wherein the support has astraight tape engaging portion proximate the head.
 7. The tape drivesystem as recited in claim 1, wherein the support has a shape thatallows an air bearing to be formed between the support and a tapeengaging the support.
 8. The tape drive system as recited in claim 1,wherein the support does not rotate.
 9. The tape drive system as recitedin claim 1, wherein the support is a spool around which a tape iswrapped.
 10. The tape drive system as recited in claim 1, wherein thehead is biased towards the support.
 11. The tape drive system as recitedin claim 1, wherein the head rides above the tape on an air bearing forat least a portion of the operation period.
 12. The tape drive system asrecited in claim 1, further comprising a spacing mechanism operativelycoupled to the head and engaging at least one of the support and thetape for setting a position of the head relative to the support.
 13. Thetape drive system as recited in claim 1, wherein the head is coupled toa member, wherein an end of the member opposite the head is positionedrelative to the support such that elements of the head are positioned ata point of closest approach to the tape.
 14. The tape drive system asrecited in claim 1, wherein the head disengages from the tape during atleast some periods of no writing and no reading.
 15. A tape drivesystem, comprising: a support for engaging a tape, wherein the supportincludes a roller adapted for engaging a tape wrapped around at least aportion of an outer surface thereof; and a material layer on a tapebearing surface of the roller of the support, the material layer beingfor increasing friction between the tape and the support, wherein,during an operation period when the head is reading from or writing to atape, the head is positioned such that at least one of the followingoccurs: the head does not contact the tape for a majority of theoperation period; the head does not contact the tape for at least aportion of the operation period; and the head engages the tape for atleast a portion of the operation period when the tape is lifted from thesupport by a cushion of air formed between the support and the tape, thehead pressing the tape into the air cushion when engaging the tape. 16.The tape drive system as recited in claim 15, further comprising a headdirectly opposing the support such that a tape engaging the support ispositioned between the head and the support, the head being forperforming at least one of reading from a tape and writing to a tape.17. The tape drive system as recited in claim 16, wherein the head ridesabove the tape on an air bearing for at least a portion of the operationperiod.
 18. The tape drive system as recited in claim 15, wherein thematerial of the material layer is a polymeric material.